


Through the Maw

by Jett



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, No major death, Reincarnation, plenty of angst, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:39:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2063241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jett/pseuds/Jett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is out with his Captain and his squad when they get ambushed by titans. As he tries to fight them off, he finds himself in the mouth of an Aberrant and wakes up in the streets of a modern city. He runs into Levi, but this isn't Wall Maria, and this Levi has no clue who Eren is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mouth of the Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've had this idea where Eren gets jolted to the future somehow through some mechanism of titan time-travel I haven't logically figured out. Anyway, he wakes up in some modern city that I'm not going to bother to name because it's just a generic city. This may even be more of an alternate dimension more than the future but Idk. Either way, there isn't going to be another Eren. Our beloved baby is the only one. 
> 
> Also, I'm making it so that German is spoken by the people living in Wall Maria, Rose and parts of Sina, but the pretentious snobs in Sina speak English. So Eren and Levi would know both, but would typically address each other in German/Marisian (some bullshit portmanteau I made up on the fly of Maria and Rose) instead of English/Sinese because they aren't originally from Sina. 
> 
> On that note, I'm not about to whip out my mediocre German in order to try and impress anyone/make the story more confusing so just use your imagination kids! Most of the story they will be speaking English anyway since modern Levi doesn't know German really.
> 
> Anyway that doesn't come into play until the next chapter but a head's up if you're even still reading this note. Enjoy this itty bitty prologue!

“Eren, screw your head on straight, dammit! To the left!”

 

Eren Jaeger shifted his weight down on the left hip and maneuvered around a large tree. He could hear Armin and Jean close behind him, and he knew Connie, Sasha, and Christa were nearby in the periphery. Captain Levi raced ahead of the group and shouted out orders while Mikasa maintained a distance somewhere in between Amin and Eren, where she could keep a watchful eye on both. The squad headed toward the nearest village that had been set up as a supply camp for the Scouting Legion. They had been sent out ahead to investigate the best route to take in order to continue recapturing the land in between Wall Rose and Wall Maria.

 

About thirty minutes away from the camp, the group had encountered several titans of various meters and about half of their horses had been smashed underfoot by the largest. Levi struggled to safely lead them all out of the forest, but he was seriously hoping the flare he had sent up five minutes ago had caught someone’s attention back in the camp. He supposed Connie, Christa, and Armin could share horses with someone, but the risk of slowing down horses with extra weight frightened him to the core. His brain scrambled to come up with a way out of this, and he could practically feel Eren’s anxiousness to tear into his hand.

 

The forest was thinning out and the horses below widened their formation to accommodate all four running abreast. Levi shouted a command and everyone dropped down to them. Mikasa flung herself down onto her brown mare, who charged ahead when the extra weight of a person was added. Jean grabbed Armin and seated both of them flawlessly on the back of his flighty stallion. Christa whizzed by and jumped to seat herself behind Mikasa, her arms locked in an iron grip upon contact. Eren flopped clumsily in front of the saddle on Levi’s huge black mare, then promptly yanked his blade out and sliced the strap of the saddle. It slid off the horse and rolled behind the squad. He gripped the reins for control and whipped his head around to frantically look for Levi.

 

“Captain! Hurry up!”

 

Levi dodged a Titan’s hand as he flew past the last remaining trees and swung down toward Eren. He landed roughly into Eren’s back and growled into his ear.

 

“My horse,give me the reins.”

 

“Are you joking? We can’t switch places in the middle of riding!”

 

Eren shook his head in disbelief and spurred the horse faster. The edges of the camp were becoming visible, and he could feel Levi’s grip tighten on his cloak. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw a small battalion of mounted soldiers led by Hanji coming toward them.

“Levi! Eren!” Hanji called and waved, her small hand barely visible from the distance. Eren smiled and raised a hand in return, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed something charging toward them. He turned his head, breath hitching at the sight of an Aberrant barreling toward them from the side. It was closest to Jean and Armin, who quickly tried to speed up to avoid it. It snapped just behind their horse’s hindquarters and caused Eren to shriek in fear for his best friend. The titan was regaining its footing and preparing to swing its large body back around for another lunge.

 

Eren reached his foot up to the horse’s back and quickly tried to stand on one foot and gain his balance. Levi yanked him back down harshly and practically screamed in his ear.

 

“Jaeger! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

 

“I have to save my friends! They can’t go fast enough with both of them on the horse! Hanji can’t get here in time!”

 

Levi looked back and forth between Eren’s eyes and Eren saw a flash of panic before a look of determination crossed his superior’s face.

 

“Fucking hell,” Levi muttered before dropping off the horse and rolling on the ground to break his fall. Eren tried to rein the horse in and make her stop, but she had other plans and continued charging toward the town.

 

Levi shot a point of his 3DMG into a stray tree nearby and swung around before he shot the other into the titan’s back. He began the spin at the peak of his jump that Eren knew would lead into his momentum-driven , titan-murdering death-hack; the signature move that Eren had been trying to replicate for months with very little result. A bit of relief began to well up inside of him and he wondered what would he and the rest of the Scouting Legion would do without their beloved, angry Captain.

 

Suddenly, the Aberrant’s head shot up and its mouth turned up in a grisly smile. Eren saw that Levi’s speed and momentum were so much that he would be unable to execute any attempt at redirecting. He pulled on the reins so hard that the horse screamed and reared its head, silky black mane blowing in the wind. It turned on a dime and Eren pushed it faster and faster. He reached down for the triggers on his blades and aimed it toward the Aberrant’s head. A shot in the dark, he knew, but it was better than watching his hero fall in battle as a result of Eren’s own emotions. Eren let himself swing toward the Aberrant and knew he only had seconds to spare as Levi spun uncontrollably toward the titan’s gaping maw.

 

With a feral shout, Eren used his feet to glance off of the titan’s broad forehead and launched himself into Levi, who was close enough to the pearly teeth to see his reflection. Levi grunted and flew back down toward the ground, the breath knocked out of him a little from the force of Eren’s body slamming into him. Eren, on the other hand, had absorbed most of the shock and had fallen straight down onto the tip of the titan’s nose. His head spun and he felt like he might retch right onto this ugly face, a thought that made him giggle. Levi aimed and pulled the trigger of the 3DMG, but all that answered was a faint whoosh of pressurized air without the effects of propulsion. He cursed and frantically looked around for Mikasa, someone he had grown to rely on as backup in situations that required brute strength and fighting instincts.

 

Meanwhile, Eren attempted to stand up and felt his head lurch to one side, bringing his entire body down with it. A misplaced foot on slimy teeth caused him to slip, and he found himself tumbling toward the still waiting mouth of the titan, a fetid air wafting up from the cavernous hole that he knew led into a pool of blood and carnage. He grabbed onto the slippery tongue and shouted out for help, his head still reeling and struggling to figure out how to coordinate movements. A flash of black went past the mouth, but all he could focus on was the warmth surrounding him and how nice it would feel to close his eyes, just for a second. A quick rest was all he needed to fix his addled brain, he knew. His eyes closed without his consent, and he felt his hand loosen as unconsciousness rapidly crept up on him. The mouth began to close and Eren swore he saw his Captain’s face right before.

 

“Eren!” a voice screamed raw and ragged, and Eren wondered why the voice was so upset. He hoped Captain wouldn’t mind that he was dirty. Titan fighting was filthy work, after all. Eren felt himself slid down the saliva-coated tongue, and his brain shut down along the way.

 

He never reached the pit below.

 

 


	2. The Shock of Modernity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise these will get longer.

Loud sounds were everywhere.The ghost of a voice called his name. Unfamiliar smells rolled past Eren’s nose and he scrunched it up in disgust. An acrid smell that took his breath away suffocated him and he turned his face away. A cold, hard surface pressed against his cheek, and it was beginning to become numb. His eyes fluttered open and the familiarity of the bright blue sky created a false sense of peace and security. Any minute now, his squad would gather around him and tease him about almost getting eaten. Jean would make some jab about how stupid he was, and Levi would berate him for acting so irrationally even though Eren was technically saving him.

 

Any minute now…

 

Eren sat up indignantly, wondering why the hell no one had so much as called his name to see if he was alright.

 

“Hey-” he began yelling, but cut himself off when he saw the environment around him. Huge, shiny carriages that weren’t led by any horses flew on gray, smooth streets. They honked like geese at each other and screeched when stopping abruptly. The buildings around him soared up higher than any ever had in Trost or Shiganshina. People bustled about with small black devices in their hands; their heads tilted uncomfortably down to inspect something on these devices or holding them to their ears and shouting at them. A furrow formed in between his brows when he looked down and realized he was still wearing his military uniform, but not a single person around him had similar uniforms.

 

Eren’s mouth opened as he took in the sights of this unfamiliar city. Still confused about what had happened, he looked down and noticed the thick coating of saliva on his jacket. So, he had definitely been in the titan’s mouth, that part was real. But where was he now? No one around looked familiar, and there were no landmarks for Eren to recognize. Even the language these people spoke seemed smoother and more fluid than the harsh barking tone he was used to hearing. He could pick out distinct words, but the general flow was different.

 

A flash of dark hair across the street caught Eren’s attention and he stood up so quickly that he nearly passed back out.

 

“Captain!” he screamed, his throat raw and sore. People around him looked at him in disbelief. His captain hadn’t even spared a glance.

 

Eren dashed toward the street and didn’t even think to stop for these large metal carriages. One nearly hit him as it screeched to a halt an arm’s length away. The driver made a piece of glass vanish and Eren could hear him spewing a long string of curses, but he couldn’t be bothered. He continued running through the street as the small figure walked away. His boots pounded on the ground as he sprinted toward the man. Once Eren was close enough to reach out, he lightly brushed his hand against Levi’s arm.

 

“What the- hey man back the fuck off,” Levi growled. He turned to see what idiot had dared to touch him.

 

“Captain, I’m really glad to see you. Uh, where are we?”

 

“Captain? Listen kid, my German isn’t great yet so can you just leave me alone? I don’t have any money.”

 

“Sorry Captain, but why are you speaking Sinese? This isn’t some inner part of Sina that I haven’t seen yet, is it?” Eren slid into the language of the upper echelon with an ease that surprised him.

 

“Sinese? Kid, this is English. Language of the masses. Chinese is something else. Can you go away now?”

 

Levi turned around and began walking, but he could hear footsteps echoing his own. He turned around again to see the same kid following him.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Um, I don’t know where we’re at.”

 

“Are you from a con or…?”

 

“A what?”

 

“Nevermind, go to the police or something, I don’t know. Why are you still following me?”

 

“You’re not him. You just look and sound like him. This isn’t Wall Maria. Where am I?” Eren mumbled to himself. He looked around defeatedly and sat down on a nearby bench. Levi watched him carefully as though he was still waiting for Eren to try and mug him.

 

“I’m sorry I bothered you, sir,” Eren said politely, if not with a hint of sadness.

 

“My name isn’t sir it’s-”

 

“Levi, I know.”

 

Levi stared at him, stunned that this weird kid knew his name. “How…?”

 

Eren gave him a withering look. “You look, sound, and act just like my Captain in the regiment I’m in. His name is, was, Levi. You are too similar; there is no way your name could be anything else. I think you’re him, and I’m just stuck in some other place or time. It’s fine though, really, I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

 

“Well, now I’m even more disturbed. Another time? What the hell does that even mean? Are you from the past? Your uniform sure looks like it. And Wall Maria, that’s a myth everyone gets told as a child. A fairy tale.”

 

Eren glared at him. “A fairy tale? I’ve watched hundreds of my friends and fellow soldiers die trying to save and maintain the walls and you’re sitting here telling me that it’s all been labeled a fairy tale? Why isn’t it in history books? Why aren’t you, or my version of you, branded a hero? You should have your own holiday after everything you’ve done. I assume there’s no titans in this world?”

 

“Titans?”

 

“Well that’s at least one less thing to worry about,” Eren sighed.

 

“The things you’re talking about were supposed to have happened 1,200 years ago according to the story everyone tells. There’s no way, you’re delusional.”

 

“Okay,” Eren said blandly. “Can you show somewhere I can get something to eat?”

 

“You don’t have any money, do you?”

 

Eren shook his head. “Forget it, I can tell by that look that you still think I’m trying to trick you. I don’t know where I’m at. I don’t know what these rolling metal things are. And I don’t know why you look like one of the most important people in my life, but you do. And I woke up and felt vulnerable and saw you so I thought maybe you had reached your hand down the titan’s throat and fallen with me, but I guess nobody tried to save me since you obviously aren’t him. I thought maybe you knew something, because I don’t know what’s going on.”

 

Eren stood up and began walking down the street, away from Imposter Levi. He swallowed against the thick knot forming in his throat and made his way back to the bench. Maybe if he sat there long enough, time would correct itself and send him back. He patiently waited until there were cars, and darted across the street. As he was about to sit down, a hand grabbed his arm and spun him around.

 

“What’s your name?” Levi asked, searching Eren’s eyes for something.

 

“Eren Jaeger, do you remember me?”

 

“No.”

 

Eren let his head fall back as he sighed heavily, trying not to give in to the crushing hopelessness that was building on his chest. Levi jerked his arm, forcing Eren to look back at him.

 

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t eventually.”

 

“If you don’t now, what could possibly change?”

 

“Just… I don’t know. I’ve never heard any crazier shit than this in my life. But you have the extremely authentic looking uniform, you call common languages by weird names I’ve never heard before. You know my name.”

 

Eren shrugged noncommitally.

 

“Look, I’m not about to let you crash at my place, but I can show you the homeless shelter down a few blocks away and you can crash there. Maybe there will even be some clothes for you. And you can shower, because you stink.”

 

Eren smiled briefly at that, his face quickly regaining it’s neutral tone. This Levi was very similar to his Levi, but the two had differences. He caught himself thinking that the old Levi was his.

 

I can’t think that way. Captain would be angry that I let emotions cloud my thinking. I can’t trust this guy just because he looks like someone. I’ll call them Old Levi and New Levi.

 

New Levi motioned for Eren to follow him. They walked to the crossroads and Levi stopped before pressing a button. They waited patiently and Levi began walking when the light on the other side showed a little walking man. Eren had never seen something so ridiculous. Couldn’t people use their judgement about when to walk? They went a few streets over, each time waiting for the little walking man. He marveled at the sights around him, at the different kinds of people walking around. He saw lots of women that had features similar to Mikasa, and he wished she could be here to see that she was more normal that she thought. He knew his sister was constantly aware of how different she looked, even if no one ever said a word about it. He wanted Armin to see the trees and flowers, even if there were identical ones in Shiganshina, because he knew his best friend would still delight over it all. He laughed at the idea of Old Levi riding in a metal roller, because his Captain already hated regular carriages and preferred walking or riding his horse.

 

They reached a low building that had a scattering of scraggly people outside. Levi cringed away from the potential filth and pointed Eren in the direction of the door.

 

“They’ll feed you and give you a bed.”

  
“Thanks,” Eren muttered as he walked toward the door. One of the men catcalled at him, but Eren continued walking without even looking at the man. Levi watched him walk all the way through the doors, and stayed outside for several minutes afterward. He later wondered why he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Levi- canon Levi  
> New Levi- modern Levi

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter was stressful


End file.
